Charles W. Flanagan High School Baseball

For the second consecutive game, the Flanagan Falcons needed extra innings to decide their fate.  However, as opposed to how things ended against Cardinal Gibbons the night before, the boys in green would go home victorious with a 5-4 nail biter of a win in nine innings against St. Thomas Aquinas in the 3rd place consolation game of the Falcons Earlybird Challenge, hosted by Nike and Orlando Team Sports.

The Falcons took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Geoff Jimenez (1-3, R, RBI, BB, SAC, SB) scored from third on cleanup hitter Justin Frias' RBI grounder.  That lead would extend to 3-0 in the second inning after Pichi Torres scored on a wild pitch, and Ryan Smith (1-4, R) scored on a Jimenez sacrifice fly to right field.  After St. Thomas picked up a run in the top of the third and fourth inning to cut the deficit to 3-2, the Falcons would manufacture a run in the bottom of the 5th, when Zach Jackson (1-4, R, BB, 2 SB) walked, stole second and third, and scored on  a balk.  That 4-2 lead heading into the final frame seemed safe, until a walk and three Falcons errors resulted in 2 unearned runs and a 4-4 tie after 7 innings.  Both teams went quietly in the 8th inning, and, after the Raiders couldn't capitalize on a leadoff single in their half of the ninth, the Falcons saw their chance and made the most of it. 

Collin Martindale (2-3, R, 2 BB, 2 SB) and Jackson led things off with back to back singles, and when the Raiders intentionally walked Frias, it was up to Falcons backstop Corey Janson to end the madness.  Janson delivered by lacing a 1-2 offering to left field for the game winning RBI, driving in Martindale from third.

The pitching effort for Flanagan was solid and by committee, as David Thomas, Adam Quiles and Andres Ortegano all pitched 3 innings, with Ortegano earning the victory.  The Falcons finished their season opening week 2-1 and now wait for their Wednesday, 2/25, 6:30pm matchup at home against the South Miami Cobras.

Despite a valiant comeback that saw an 8-1 deficit wth six outs left turn into an extra innings affair after some late inning heroics, the Flanagan Falcons dropped a close one, 9-8, to the Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs in 8 innings during their final pool play game of the Falcons Earlybird Challenge, hosted by Nike and Orlando Team Sports.

For the first 5 innings, it was all Cardinal Gibbons and their ace righthander, Eric Whaley, who was dominating the Falcons, striking out 12 and allowing only one hit with his 90 plus fastball and four pitch repertoire.  However, trailing 8-1 in the bottom of the sixth, Flanagan would finally get to Whaley after a Zach Jackson (2-4, 2 R) single, an error on a deep fly off the bat of Justin Frias and a two-run bomb from Falcons DH Danny Rojo-Campos (1-4, R, HR, 2 RBI) that cut the deficit to 8-4, and ended the night for Whaley. 

That score would hold moving into the bottom of the 7th inning, thanks to a solid relief effort from Senior southpaw Mark Peterson (2.1 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 H), who kept the Chiefs contained just enough to allow for some Falcons magic in the final frame.  After a pair of walks and a single by Jackson, Senior first baseman Frias would blast an 0-1 curve ball deep to left center for a dramatic, game tying grand slam that drew bedlam from the Flanagan faithful and left the Chiefs stunned in silence.  The inning would end with the teams knotted at 8-8 and the clock at 10:30pm, forcing the teams to come back to Falcons Field nearly 20 hours later to complete the game.  Regrettably, the extra inning was not kind to the Falcons, as Cardinal Gibbons scored in the top half, and the home team would go down quietly, resulting in the 9-8 Chiefs victory.  With the win, Cardinal Gibbons earns the Falcon Earlybird Challenge championship berth at 7pm Friday against the Taravella Trojans, while the Falcons will settle for the 3rd Place consolation game against the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders at 4pm. 

A solid opening night pitching effort from Falcons senior starter David Thomas (6 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 H, 8 K, 3 BB) and contributions throughout the Flanagan lineup resulted in a 7-3 win over the Miami Sunset Knights.

Geoffrey Jimenez's two out, 2-run double in the bottom of the 2nd inning gave the Falcons an early 2-0 lead, but Sunset catcher Jose Marte would hit Thomas' only real mistake of the game over the wall with two runners on, accounting for the Knights only scoring of the ballgame. 

After that, it was all Falcons and they never looked back, with Justin Frias (1-3, R, RBI) tying the game in the bottom of the fourth with a solo shot to left center field that might still be traveling.  That moon shot ignited the Falcons offense, and before the inning was over, the Falcons would pick up three more runs, extended the lead to 6-3.  After Corey Janson (2-3, 2 R) stroked his second hit of the night in the 5th inning, Danny Rojo-Campos (2-2, R, BB) would do the same, and the Falcons would pick up an added run for insurance, giving Thomas all he'd need to secure the victory.  Collin Martindale, Nick Basto and Jimenez would all end the night going 1-3, while Pichi Torres went 1-2 with a double, sacrifice and run scored.  In fact, 7 of the 9 Falcons starting batsmen had at least one hit, 5 of 9 scored, and all reached base safely.

The Falcons hope to make it two in a row on Wednesday, as they take on Cardinal Gibbons at 7pm in their second pool play game of the Falcons Earlybird Challenge, hosted by OTS and Nike.    

After spotting the Pre-Season Classic host, Monsignor Pace Spartans, a 6-0 cushion in the bottom of the first inning with four errors that led to three unearned runs, it would have been easy for the young Flanagan ballclub to feel demoralized enough to pack it in and wait for better days.  However, for the second time in three days, the Falcons displayed power up and down the lineup and made this one very interesting, before letting it get away late, 15-11.

Zach Jackson (2-4, R, 3 RBI, HR, BB), Corey Janson (2-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR) and Nick Basto (2-2, 3 R, 2 RBI, HR, BB, HBP, SB) each hit two run homers, making it five different Falcons to accomplish the feat in their two preseason games this week.  Geoffrey Jimenez also helped pace the offense, going 2 for 3, with 2 runs scored, an RBI double, a sacrifice bunt and two stolen bases. 

Pitchers Adam Quiles and Keil Conway each threw two solid innings, and contained the Spartans just enough to allow the Falcons offense to overcome 6-0 and 8-2 deficits, eventually taking a 9-8 lead in the top of the 5th inning.  However, it would be short lived, as Pace bounced back with four of their own in the bottom frame, taking a 12-9 lead into the top of the 6th.  Once again, Flanagan would not quit, cutting the deficit to one run after picking up a pair in the top half.  The Spartans, however, would answer yet again wth three runs, and, with the Falcons going quietly in their last at bat, the slugfest that saw a combined 24 hits, would end at 15-11.

Despite coming up short, the Falcons showed the resiliency and determination they'll need when the 2009 campaign starts for real on Monday, February 16, at 7pm against the Miami Sunset Knights in the Falcon Earlybird Challenge, sponsored by Nike and Orlando Team Sports.

Behind a solid combined pitching effort and a pair of two run blasts from senior first baseman Justin Frias and junior third baseman David Gonzalez, the Flanagan Falcons edged the Gulliver Raiders, 5-3, in a pre-season game played at Monsignor Pace High School.  Both home runs were of the go-ahead variety, as Frias’ opposite field shot came with Flanagan trailing 1-0 in the top of the third inning and Gonzalez’s first pitch bomb to centerfield broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the fifth.  Frias ended the night 3 for 4, while junior catcher Corey Janson added a run in the sixth with a sacrifice fly.

The Falcons pitchers were steady all night, limiting Gulliver to single runs in the 1^st, 3rd and 6^th innings.  Senior David Thomas got the start, allowing one earned run in 3 innings, with senior Mark Peterson earning the win with two innings of work and junior Pichi Torres completing the final two frames, earning the save.

Flanagan is back in action at Monsignor Pace High School on Thursday night at 7pm against the host Spartans.